


My Life, My Dream, My Blood, My Death

by TwilightRealmWolf



Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: F/M, It WILL be reader insert, M/M, Multi, Project Freelancer, based around seasons 9 and 10
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-24
Updated: 2015-01-23
Packaged: 2018-03-08 18:36:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3219284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TwilightRealmWolf/pseuds/TwilightRealmWolf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Project Freelancer had always been a mystery of destruction, misery and relentless questions left unanswered. Would you be the next victim to fall under the Director's grasp?</p>
            </blockquote>





	My Life, My Dream, My Blood, My Death

**Author's Note:**

> This has been in the works for who knows how long. This chapter is mainly character development.
> 
> I put a TON of time into this, and I'd really appreciate any feedback.  
> Thanks!

**XxXxXxX**

**Washington**

He was born into a family at war. Sure, his parents did actually fight in a war, but that doesn't apply at the moment. When he was born, an accidental pregnancy by his- at the time- unmarried parents on leave from the UNSC. They had met in training, both being the top of the class in fitness and wit, never failing to show up anyone and everyone. His mother had found out about herself being pregnant in the middle of the night in her bunk, her stomach tying up into knots. She had tried her best to hide it, constantly cursing her on leave fling's name. Eventually, to her own dismay, she fell ill during regular day training and was sent to the med bay immediately, only for the nurse to question the fact that her armour didn't quite fit right anymore. She had tried to lie, saying that she was just putting on some weight, even though both her and the nurse knew better. She was the top of the squad, a heavy handed fighter who never failed to be the best.

Not long after her medical encounter, the nurse had deducted that she was indeed pregnant and had outed it to her CO, who had promptly come up to her bedside and kicked her off of their squad. She had attempted protest, though he was having none of it, and he arranged her departure pelican flight the very next day. She had attempted to stay strong, which had succeeded up until the flight had ended, leaving her at a regular old airport back on Earth with tears streaming down her face. She wondered constantly where the man of her past, the father of her child, was now. Leaning up against the railing, she watched out the window as planes from all over the world came rolling up to gates, waiting awhile, only to simply roll away once again to a new destination.

The tears kept coming, the droplets running down from her eyes and over her defined cheekbones, only to splatter back down onto her hands seconds later. She breathed ragged breaths in and out, constantly trying to calm herself down, though nothing had ever worked. Continuing to stare, her gaze looked on through the window, herself lost in her own thoughts. It wasn't until she felt a tap onto her shoulder that she was brought back to reality, turning around to face none other than the man that had flooded her thoughts for months.

She did nothing else but stare for a few moments, her eyes tracing each and every one of his features from his face to his neck, eyes continuing to roam downward until her neck was eased up back to his face by a gentle hand.

“My god…” He whispers softly, gazing into her now watering eyes.

“I...I thought you were gone...” She manages to say, her voice trailing off as she returns the loving gaze.

“Of course I wasn’t gone,” He pauses, running a loving hand softly down her jawline, “I just knew how passionate you were about your military lifestyle. But, now you’re here.”

“At first, regretfully,” She says truthfully, using the back of her hand to wipe away the tears running down her cheeks, “but I feel better about it now. Kind of like it was meant to happen.”

“I’m catching a flight to Hawaii in a few minutes, and I want you to come with me.”

“I would love-”

“I’m not taking no for an answer this time. I’m not leaving again.” He says, placing his hands firmly on her shoulders in order to look into her swimming grey eyes.

“As I was saying,” She pauses, placing a soft hand on his cheek, “I’d love to.”

**_____DOCUMENT LOST_____**

**XxXxXxX**

**York**

Sneaking off in order to be somewhere he wasn't supposed to be had always been York's specialty. Even when he was a kid, he would always find a way to sneak off, to get away from either chores that he didn't want to do, or to get away from his little sister Shayleigh. Though, she always prefered Shay, which wasn't unusual for their family. Nicknames were common, and York had obtained his when he had been in Kindergarten, him immediately taking a shine to that one specific state the day he had seen it on the map.

He'd shot up from his little desk, shoving the chair back with so much force that it tipped over onto it's back, being forgotten as York ran full speed toward the teachers towering desk. His feet shuffled as he ran towards the vivacious teacher, shouting her name as he dodged by students in their seats and crayons on the floor, only tripping twice in the process of his journey. Once he reached her desk, he jumped up and down ver and over again, attempting to allow himself to see over the top of the surface. She looked up from her book, smiling as she saw his little face popping up and down, giggling to herself about how his short cut brown hair had one piece that bounced with each leap.

"Ms. Lee! Ms. Lee! I have a question for you!" The little York yelled, still jumping up and down in place in front of the large desk.

Laughing, Ms. Lee set her book down on her desk and sat up straight, allowing herself to see over the countless papers and boxes of crayons on her desk in order to see his full figure. He stood in front of her desk in tan khaki shorts and an orange graphic tee, holding a map tightly as he bounced up and down. Using her hand, she motioned for the little boy to walk around the colossal metal object in order to show her what he intended to show her. He ran around it eagerly, nearly falling over once again as his foot caught the leg of the desk, but steadied himself quickly before resuming his trek towards the woman.

"Yes, Sean?" She responded, her smile not leaving her face.

"I found this in a cubby, what is it?" He asks, holding the laminated object out in front of him carefully, as if it was about to explode right in his hands.

"That, my dear," She begins, taking the solid paper from his hands, "is called a map. It shows where everything is, even the tiniest of cities. This is a map of the United States, which is where we live. It shows every state in the US, all 50 of them."

She glanced up and looked at the young boy's face, smiling as she saw the twinkle of wonderment in his eyes.

"What is this one?" He asks, placing his index finger lightly on a shape outlined on the map.

"That is South Carolina, and above it is South Carolina."

"There's two of them?" He asks, his mouth wide. Ms. Lee nodded once, laughing as she did so. He snapped his jaw shut with a quiet smacking sound as something else caught his eye.

"What's this one?" He asks, repeating the same gesture as before.

"That's California. Since it's by the water, it has very pretty beaches."

"Oh, my mom said that she used to go to beaches there all the time! She used to live there when she met my dad!" He says excitedly, thoughts buzzing through his head at a million miles per hour.

"That sounds very nice, Sean."

"Yeah, he said that he knew that he liked her even before he had talked to her! I don't think that's possible though."

Ms. Lee chuckled, placing a soft hand on the little boy's shoulder.

"You never know, sweetie. Sometimes life does things we can't quite understand."

"Maybe someday I'll meet a nice girl from there too!" He stated as he used his finger to trace the outline of the elongated state.

"Maybe you will, who knows." She says thoughtfully, her sparkling eyes watching the young boy as he looked over the map with wide eyes.

"What about this one? It has a funny shape." He asked her, tracing the shape slowly and accurately with his index finger, careful to never stray from the defined line.

“That one is called New York. It has some of the biggest buildings in the world!” Ms Lee says, her face very animated with each word.

“Really? Wow, that sounds so cool!”

“I could show you some pictures, if you’d like to see them.” She says simply, reaching for her computer, opening the lid and stroking the mousepad to jolt it to life.

“You can?” He asks, excitedly, bouncing up and down at her side once more. She nods once as she pulls up the pictures, watching the small boy’s face light up as his eyes trace over the pictures on the screen.

“I want to go there.” He says after a few moments of watching picture after picture on the screen.

“Maybe someday you will.”

“I like that name, New York. It sounds fancy but nice. Much better than Sean.” He sneers, wrinkling his nose as he says his name.

“Well, what about calling you York then? There’s never any harm in nicknames, is there?” Ms. Lee asks, hands down on the smaller boy’s shoulders. He smiles up at her, his smile beaming brighter than the uncomfortable fluorescent lights of the classroom.

York smiled beneath his bland colored helmet, laughing slightly as he continued to walk, each step making little to no sound as it collided with the grassy growth which grew longer as he got farther away from the base. In a moment of flash back, he realizes that back then, he’d visualized himself everywhere but here. Here in armour, fighting a war for who knows why. He’d always thought he’d end up as, say, a famous actor or musician. Something that’d get him all the ladies.

There were no ladies here.

Or, so that he’d met, anyway.

He continued to pace, heavy boots stamping the grass down with each step. It was dark, one of the galaxies many moons shone high overhead, the area quiet. Everyone was asleep, stuck in the base in their own quarters, either sleeping soundly or pacing back and forth, thoughts of terror and sadness plaguing their active minds. York had never been one for sleeping at night while everyone else did. He always favored walking for awhile, gathering his thoughts before walking back and going to sleep. He wasn’t insubordinate, he’d never been. He just didn’t follow the crowd.

He’d never seen anything wrong with that.

Suddenly, York’s head snaps up as a small motion registers on his motion tracker. He looks up, raising a hand up when a small but bright light shone directly into his visor. He ducked behind a rock in front of him. He squinted his eyes shut tightly, muttering curses beneath his breath as he tried to eliminate the bright circle staining his vision. After all attempts had failed, he looked back up, noting that the blip on the tracker had vanished. He peeked around the rock, still seeing the light clearly in the darkness of the night. He moved in order to get a better position, only to watch the light vanish. Glancing at his motion tracker once more, and still seeing nothing, he began to move towards the object.

As it got closer and closer, York started to wonder why it was here. Nothing serious ever happened around here, and he hadn’t heard his CO say anything about command sending in anything. He took a few more steps, stopping when there was a dark object within a few inches of his toes. He looked up, his head not stopping until it was craned all the way back. The ship in front of him was large, something unlike he’d ever seen before. Though, at the same time, it was small.

I wonder if there’s anything on there.

Slowly, York crept around the rock he had been crouched behind, keeping a watchful eye on his motion tracker as he went. It was late and he was growing tired, so this was not the time for an ambush. He crept closer and closer to the ship, staying low to the ground as he moved. He watched the space object with carefulness and wonder, taking every shape and light in as he saw it. It was beyond anything he had seen before in his time fighting for the UNSC, but he had always had this feeling that something was different about their squad and their ways of doing things, as well as the equipment they possessed. By looking at this, York sure knew that they had something that he didn't, and it was cool as fuck.

He kept walking ever so slowly until his toes were only a mere few inches away from touching the ship. He glanced at his motion trackers once more, seeing nothing, before he stood into a normal position, setting off to walk the perimeter of the ship. He didn't quite know what he was looking for, but he'd always had that little sense of curiosity in him.

"Well, this looks promising." He says cheerfully as his eyes come in contact with a large door, presumably the entrance to the large ship. York stared at the door for a moment, before deciding to take a shot in the dark and grab hold of the air lock handle, as if it would just pop open. When it didn't, York let out a chuckle, placing his pistol back onto the holster on his thigh.

"Yeah, didn't think that would work." York states, shrugging his shoulders and rolling them back, then adding, "Good thing I don't need keys."

Within seconds, York was working with all his concentration on the lock to the air-tight sealed door to the ship. Sure, it wasn't just your average door lock, but it wasn't nearly as advanced as some of the locks he'd seen on the larger bases. Holographic locks were something he's never had to deal with before, and he sure as hell didn't want to start that on a ship with god knows what inside.

He picked away at the sequence, mentally noting the multiple layers that the lock had as he unlocked them. After four layers had gone down successfully, he focused on the fifth, not knowing whether it was the last layer or not.

With all his attention and mental capacity focusing on the lock sequence in front of him, he hadn't seen the blip on his radar, or heard the sound. The sound was muted by the sound of the airlock door flying open, all the pressurized air flowing directly into York's face, filling his hearing with nothing but wind. He put his hands in the air and began to shake his hips, his victory not being complete without the obligatory victory dance.

"I get the feeling this is not the first breaking and entering law you've broken."

York froze in place, arms still in the air for a few moments. Though, he did not stay in that position for long, yanking his arms down with force, pivoting on his heels and drawing his pistol within a matter of seconds. He pointed it at the source of the voice, not letting it down, nor waiver, at all.

"Now now, there's no reason for that. I am not a threat to you. I am merely what is known as," the figure paused, waving his finger around once as he searched for the word he was looking for, "an inquirer."

York's eyebrows furrowed in confusion under his helmet, but his pistol remained pointed at the figures head, his finger hovering the trigger without a single twitch.

"And you are?" York asks, not pulling the pistol down, but his voice conveyed no hostility whatsoever.

"I am from another branch of the military. One far less," another pause, "recognized."

“That doesn’t sound ominous at all.” York retorts, sarcasm soaking his words.

“I am very impressed with your skills. The lock on that door was made of several layers of complex patterns. You must be trained.”

“Not at all. I guess I just got good at unlocking things over all the years of losing my room keys in the base.”

“It is a very valuable skill. Where are you stationed?” The figure asks, turning his head to look around, even though the ship was surrounded with nothing but high cliffs and rocks.

“Uhh,” York mumbles, using his hand to loosely gesture to somewhere behind him, “around here. I’ll be honest, I don’t really know where I am.” He laughs, then rubs the back of his armoured neck awkwardly with one hand.

“I believe I may have a beneficial opportunity for you.” The other man says, gesturing in York’s general direction. The man never seemed to remove his hands from behind his back, and York would be lying if he said that he didn’t find that weird.

“Umm,” York mumbles, unsure of what to say in response, “okay?”

“I am working with a part of the military who is funding a military research program. It is unknown to anyone else. You seem to possess the skills to be beneficial to this program. It is very exclusive.” The figure says, before pulling out a tablet look a like, tapping a few keys, then looking back at York.

“Okay, wait. Let me get this straight.” York says in confusion, putting one gloved hand up in a ‘stop’ gesture. “I just broke a law by breaking and entering military property, secret military property at that, and you’re offering me a job?”

The man stays quiet for a few moments, before allowing a reply.

“In this circumstance, you will be given a highly ranked promotion. In any other scenario, you would be reported and taken away by UNSC officers, then discharged and jailed. You do have options here, but very few at that.”

“Yeah, I can see that…”

The man stuck his hand out towards York, moving his arms from their usual position for the first time since they had began conversing.

“Do we have an agreement?”

York paused, looking down at the man’s hand, then back in what direction he thought was the general direction of his teams base. Then, with a shrug, he stuck out his hand and clasped the other’s hand firmly, shaking it once.

“I guess so.” York says, letting go and following the other man’s stride into the ship. He took a seat, latching the harness before breathing out and muttering “I mean, hey, what’s the worst that could happen?” under his breath as the engines fired and took them away, the surface of the planet quickly fading from view.

**XxXxXxX**

**North and South**

“I don’t understand…”

The sound was muffled through the halls and by the walls, making the voices nearly impossible for North to hear. Granted, he knew that him attempting to listen in wasn’t the greatest thing to be doing, nor the nicest thing a brother could do, but for South, he would go to the ends of the Earth and back to make sure she was always safe and happy.

He sidled across the bland white walls of their shared apartment, attempting to make as little sound as possible. In the back of his mind, he prayed that the floorboards would be kind to him and not creak like they always did. For two college students, money was tight and life was hard, and even though living together hadn’t been South’s favorite idea, she seemed to be okay with it all the same.

“Look, I’m sorry, Zaria. I’m telling you, I don’t really have a choice-”

The voices became more and more amplified as he got closer, rounding some corners in order to get closer to the living room, but keeping hidden at the same time. He knew that if he stepped one millimeter into that living room he would be torn to pieces. His sister had never been a fan of him being around when she had her boyfriend over.

“Of course you have a choice!” South yells, startling North from his spot on the other side of the wall, making him jump and slam into the wall slightly. Lucky for him, when South was as outraged as she was now, she blocked out everything else around her. In some ways that was her weakness, but in others, it was her strongest attribute.

“What do you think drafted means, Zar?” Her boyfriend says, voice growing louder with each sentence. Right from the time that he and South had started dating, North had drilled into his immature mind that he was to never hurt his sister, much to South’s displeasure. Both of them knew that she could take care of herself, but North always felt that he should be there for her.

“It doesn’t mean that you can just abandon me, that’s what it means!”

“I’m not abandoning!” He yells, taking a deep breath before continuing on. “I just have to do this. I can’t explain why.”

“I just don’t get it. Why you? There’s a billion other fucking people in this stupid world that they could’ve chosen, and they chose you. Why?” North heard her voice waiver, followed by one short but sharp sniffle.

“It won’t be that bad. I’m prepared, and I’ll be back before you graduate. I promise you, I will be.”

“I trust you, but how-”

North couldn’t quite tell what was happening to have cut off the conversation so abruptly, but the silence only stretched on for a few moments before South’s voice spoke up once more.

“Oh my God, what the fuck are you doing?” She asks, disbelief dripping from each and every one of her words.

“Zaria, this is to prove my commitment to you. Look, I know it’s not extravagant or anything, and it’s far from perfect, but think of it as a promise ring. I promise that I’ll be back before you graduate, and after that, we’ll get married. We’ll run off and be happy together. No more fucking war, no more anything to stop us from being together. When I say forever, I mean it. I’m serious, I swear on my grave.”

She swatted at him once, thunking him on the head before reprimanding him by saying “Don’t say that before you leave for the military.” between sniffles, her voice sounding hoarse, leading North to assume she was crying.

“So what do you say?”

“Of course I’ll take the ring. But if you don’t come back, I think that might just ruin my entire fucking life.”

“Good thing I don’t plan on not coming back.”

“Yeah, fucking good.”

North smiled from his spot on the other side of the wall, his chest growing warm from the happiness he felt for his sister. As much as she dated around, he knew that someday she’d want to settle down.

“When do you leave?”

He sighed once before saying, “I actually have to leave tonight. They didn’t give me much of a heads up or anything. As if getting yanked into a war wasn’t already a huge inconvenience.”

“Oh…”

“Zar, I’ll be back, I promise. You’ll be fine without me for a little while. At least you’ll have your brother James around with you to help you get through college.”

“Yeah, I guess…”

“I gotta go…”

“Yeah, I know.”

North heard rustling in the other room, then saw a shadow move towards the door.

“Can I tell you one last thing?”

He saw South’s shadow join the larger shadow, the two shadows becoming one as he brought her into a tight embrace.

“I love you. Never forget that.”

She nods once, the tears finally spilling over and running down her face, smearing her perfectly painted on winged eyeliner.

North watched as the shadow turned into a human as he popped into view, still not noticing North’s presence near the wall. Cautiously, North backed away, using another wall that faced away from the door as cover just to protect himself from the wrath that would come from South if she saw him.

North watched as the male figure strode out of the house, hand hesitating on the doorknob for a few seconds before grabbing his UNSC issued bag, throwing it over his shoulder without one look back. As the door slammed shut against the door frame, he heard a choked sob escape from the living room before the room went completely silent. North backed up down the hall back towards his bedroom, before standing up and walking into the living room to check on his sister.

When he walked in the room, he saw her slumped on the couch, her head in one hand and her left hand flattened out in front of her face, her eyes intently focused on the new object encasing a small portion of her finger.

"Hey, South?"

She didn't respond, only kept staring at her hand. North snuck closer, only stopping to sit down on the couch directly next to her, his arm making its way around her shoulders.

"South?"

There was silence for a moment, but then a sudden, yet slow, movement startled North. He focused his eyes on South, who was moving hesitantly to look over at North.

"North?"

His eyebrow raised, confusion and understanding on his expression at the same time.

"Yes, South?"

She hesitated again before placing her left hand on her brothers knee, his eyes darting to the new diamond and silver ring on her finger.

"I...I'm engaged."

With that, North wrapped both of his arms around her, her curling into his chest before starting to cry.

XxXxXxX

Graduation came fast, finals and obligations came barreling into their lives faster than anything North had ever seen.

He was up night and day, never leaving the apartment until a scheduled final. South had done some of the same, but she had been more focused on other things. She had made a countdown calendar for each day until her soon to be fiance's return from the UNSC war, whether on leave or just to visit. She hadn't been able to contain her excitement for more than a few seconds the past few weeks. which made studying hard for her, as well as finals. Though, somehow she got through it, and she was one of the many lucky names on the stack of diplomas that were on the stage.

They had arrived home at their apartment late that night, both finally settling down for very much needed sleep. They didn't say much to each other, but North smiled at her, saying a  warm and happy "congratulations" to South before going off to bed, falling asleep right as he hit the mattress.

XxXxXxX

He awoke with a start, a loud bang against his bedroom wall shocking him out of sleep. He sat up quickly, throwing his feet over the side of the bed and tossing the covers away quickly. Yanking open his bedroom door with force, he ran into the hall, finding South's door wide open and all lights on.

"South?" North called out in panic, running towards her room and stopping suddenly at the door frame. He looked around her room, the space looking like a tornado had just torn through it, devastating everything in it's path. There was a broken mirror on the floor, shards lying on the carpet.

"Go away North!"

"What...what happened?"

“What do you care?” South’s voice boomed, seemingly echoing off of every surface. She never stopped to look up, always keeping her head down, furiously throwing things into a black duffle that was getting more and more full as the seconds passed on. All that was in it was clothes, nothing more, nothing less, all thrown in haphazardly in a flurry of motion.

“I’m just concerned…” North’s voice trailed off as he watched South zip up the duffel and throw it over her shoulder forcefully. “What’re you doing?”

South merely scoffed as she pushed past North and through the door, her combat boots pounding against the wooden floor as she went. She took large strides, causing North to almost come up to a half jog to keep up with her, though still more than an arm length behind her.

“South?” He called, losing sight of her as she turned the corner of the hall and into the living room. Once he rounded the corner himself, he couldn’t help but yell.

“South!”

“What do you want, North?!” She yelled, her hand on the handle of the door, gripping it so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Her head whirled around to face him as he turned the corner, his soft eyes filled with concern meeting hers, blazing with fury. Her expression was cold, her jaw clenched tightly.

“I just want to know what happened. You were elated a few hours ago. South, we finally made it. We’ve graduated! We have our whole lives free now, you can do whatever you please. Run off and have a dream family, the perfect fairytale wedding, a prince charming.”

As the final words slipped from North’s calm lips, South’s gave fell to the floor, her grip on the door handle weakening significantly to the point of the limp limb slipping off of the object. She stared at the floor for a moment, not blinking, but her lipstick stained lips quivering.

“South?”

She sighed, not looking up from her focused spot on the floor as she spoke.

“I don’t have one anymore.”

North perked up at that, confusion swamping his thoughts.

“What do you mean? He said he’d be back today and just-”

“Well I guess he was wrong then!” South burst out, her head snapping up to deliver her twin a sharp stare that could kill.

“What do you-”

“Instead of getting the man I love, I got a fucking rag tag team of idiots pounding at my door to inform me of ‘important news’.” She sneered the last words, adding a scowl as her voice waivered.

“What-”

“He’s missing!” She exclaimed, her eyes still burning, but beginning to be extinguished by the tears of her deep emotions surfacing. “He’s,” she whimpered, her gaze returning back to the floor as a single tear fell, “he’s missing. They don’t know where he went. One day he was there, the next he wasn’t.”

“God, South, I’m so so-”

“That’s not even the best of it.” She paused briefly to collect herself, taking a deep breath that waivered uncertainly as she did. “They aren’t looking for him. They say he wasn’t captured. Some think he went AWOL, but I know he wouldn’t risk it. He would never.”

North took a deep breath, both anger and sadness looming over him like the darkest hue of clouds.

“So, if they won’t look for him, I will.”

Her hand shot back to the handle, and she tore it open as rough as she could muster. The door creaked and shook as it smashed against the wall, bouncing back with energy that could easily injure someone quite badly, had South still been standing there when it did. She stormed out, running down the steel apartment complex stairs, skipping two steps with each stride. North followed in suit, attempting to keep up with her, but still keeping a good distance between the two. Once she reached the bottom stair, he saw her begin to reach for her car, which made North panic, suddenly running in order to stop her.

“South! Don’t!”

“What, North?! This isn’t your fucking problem. Not everything I do is your fucking problem!” She yelled, throwing her arms around in extravagant motions of displeasure and anger.

“It’s my problem if you’re doing something you’ll regret!” North burst out, his eyes widening with concern and his brotherly protection instincts taking over.

“I’m not doing this for me!”

“So you’ll enroll in the military for someone else, and endanger yourself?!” North yells, breaking his patience and raising his voice, which was a very rare thing for him to do. He had always been patient, even more when it came to South, but he couldn't stand watching her throw her life away without a second thought.

"You know perfectly fucking well that I can take care of myself!" She erupts, eyes blazing as she stares at her twin, eyes wide.

"Of course I know that," North begins, voice coming back down from his previous eruption, his face relaxing with the release of the tension his body wasn’t used to, “but I can’t just watch you leave. I can’t just let you leave. You have so much here, why would you just leave and disappear from everything. Is there even a reason anymore?”

“I’m doing it for someone I love!” She yells out, her voice wavering at the end as the tears begin to form in her eyes.

“I’m not saying that I wouldn’t do the same thing,” North begins firmly, taking a small step towards his sister hesitantly, “but is it really worth risking your life?” He pauses, taking a deep breath before looking directly into her eyes, his light eyes meeting hers. “I can’t lose you.”

She paused for a moment, keeping her eyes locked with his, never breaking the shared eye contact. She opened her mouth as if to say something but snapped it shut once again, roughly squinting her eyes shut to force the tears out of her eyes. She sighed deeply, both hands balled up into fists at her side, constantly flexing as she sat in thought. North sat and waited, watching her with caution. He reached out a comforting hand, but withdrew it as if it was burned as she opened her eyes and looked directly into his. It was different this time, as if the fire in her eyes had been extinguished, and all that remained was the sopping wet charred remains, the rubble, the devastation. She shook her head once slowly before yanking her drivers side door open, throwing her military duffle into the passenger seat.

“I’ll be fine, you won’t lose me.” She mumbled, practically throwing herself into the car, slamming the door shut and cranking the stereo so high up that her own thoughts couldn’t be processed.

“You won’t lose me,” she repeated to herself as she backed out of the covered apartment parking space, watching North’s crestfallen face grow further and further away, “not again.”

XxXxXxX

The alarm on her bedside table buzzed to life at exactly 0400, the harsh beeping forcing it’s way into her thoughts with the precision of a knife, jerking her out of sleep. Within seconds she was awake, throwing her single blanket off of her as she moved her legs to dangle over the side of the bed. The old frame squeaked in protest, every joint and bolt screaming in agony as she rose, but went silent as the weight was released. South strode quickly over to her locker, yanking out her bland UNSC issued armor, wasting no time before beginning to put it on. She momentarily disregarded the yelling coming from just beyond the door, as her CO’s voice was loud, even when he was just talking nonchalantly, as if every conversation was about the weather.

The final clip on her armor was fastened with a snap, and South’s hand darted out for her helmet that lay on the floor by the other bed on it’s side, still unmoved from the previous nights tantrum. She glanced at the unused bed, nothing but a small mattress with a cloth covering and a pillow without a case. Everyone else in the base had a roommate, and in some ways, South resented them, but at the same time she was thankful.

Yanking the helmet down onto her head, she stormed out the door, slamming it against the frame as she left. The frame creaked, but still remained upright. At this point, as South was striding out to the front of the base still attempting to fasten her clasps on her helmet, she took note that the base was unusually empty. Normally she was constantly the first one outside, while the others either stood in the showers using up all the hot water or never ceased to quit hitting the snooze button on their alarms, seeming to accept the nonexistent challenge of who could press it the most. Though today was different. She strode quicker towards the entrance to the base, noting the four shadows she could make out in the rising sun. Snapping the final clasp closed, she sprinted outside, immediately taking her place in the lineup. She looked forward at her commander, squinting her eyes from the harsh light that could even be seen through the visor of her helmet.

“You're late.” The CO states, an emotionless tone behind the words. She knew he was talking to her, as if all the other turned heads and eyes on her wasn’t the biggest sign.

“Not my fault they were early.” She growls out through gritted teeth, barely audible to anyone other than her.

“Sorry, sir.” She apologizes, no sincerity in her voice, but the underlying tone of bitterness was.

“Now,” The commander begins, paying her response no mind in favor of his own topics, “we have some important news to report.”

He pauses to clear his throat quickly, gesturing to his right as he did so. His fingertips almost bumped into the armored figure stood motionless adjacent to him; something that South had failed to notice up until this point. Once he had finished, he wasted no time picking up from where he had left off.

“We have a new recruit joining the team today. I won’t bother with the hassle of introductions, you guys are far capable of doing that yourselves. He’ll be with us until further notice, and,” He paused once more, turning his head to focus his unseen gaze on South, “he’ll be rooming with you. Dismissed.”

With those words, everyone in the group began to scatter, some walking up to the new recruit and introducing themselves while the others lingered behind, clearly interested but too nervous to say anything. South on the other hand, stood out from the rest of the group, letting out a disapproving huff before striding off back to her room. She knew that she was scheduled for patrol, but decided to take a few minutes to gather her thoughts in her own privacy.

Once she had reached the room, she opened the door roughly, letting out another huff before slamming the door again, the frame shuddering in protest once again. She tore the helmet from her head, undoing the clasps quickly and watching herself in the mirror as her hair fell back down loosely, taking its natural position resting against her head. she blew a stray piece out of her face and reached out to grasp a comb, running it roughly through her hair before pulling it up into a tiny ponytail behind her head, sighing with relief as she felt the air conditioning against her neck. South would always admit, she hated the way that she looked with her hair up, with it being so short, but it sure as hell felt better when stuck in armor all day. Though, she had nothing to worry about, it was rare that anyone saw her without her armor on.

“Well, that’s a look I haven’t seen before.” A voice calls from her right, a soft and smooth speaker with a voice South hadn’t heard around before.

Although, it sure did sound familiar.

“What’s it to you, asshole?” She snapped, yanking her hair out of the ponytail as she whipped around to glare at the newcomer. She saw him leaning up against the now closed door, one leg crossed nonchalantly over the other, his arms crossed across his chest.

“Nothing, it’s just different.”

“Whatever…” South mumbles, voice trailing off at her loss for words.

“A year and a half sure does change a person’s appearance.” The new guy states, uncrossing his legs to stand up straight, using his arms to fumble with the clasps of his helmet. South stood motionless with her eyes focused intently on the man, watching his every move closely.

“Good thing we still look alike.” The man says, wrenching his helmet free and pulling it from his head. South’s face went blank, the contorted to confusion, then pure bewilderment. The blond hair that stood up in perfect fashion, the eyes, the distinct facial features. She knew that face. She knew that voice.

She knew him.

“What the fuck are you doing here, North?” South nearly yells out in surprise, her eyes never breaking his gaze.

“I told you that I couldn’t lose you.”

“I said you wouldn’t.”

“Now I’m looking at you. I believe you.”

“But-”

“But,” North begins, putting his hands firmly on South’s armored shoulders, “I couldn’t let you do this alone.”

She stands for a moment, taking in the sight in front of her; taking in the foreign sight that she hadn’t seen in a year and a half. After she processed, something in her mind finally clicked and she wrapped her arms around his waist tightly, squinting her eyes as she set her head on his chest.

“I missed you.” she says quietly.

North loosens his arms before pulling them up around her, mimicking her exactly.

“I missed you too, South. I missed you too.”

XxXxXxX

“South.” There was a nudge against her thigh, which went ignored.

“South.” Nudge.

“South?” Nudge.

“South!” A rough shove accompanied with a booming thud and a yell.

“What the fuck was that?! Why!” She yells, using her arms to throw herself up into a standing position quickly, eyes blazing as she stared at North scornfully. He stood in full armor aside from his helmet, which was held with one arm underneath it. His eyes were wide with shock and surprise, his cheeks reddening quickly with each passing second.

“Sorry, I really didn’t ream to shove you that hard.” He says apologetically, wiping a hard hand over his face as a symbol of awkwardness. Even though the situation wasn’t entirely awkward, he was more afraid of the wrath that he knew his sister was capable of, and he knew just how much he wanted to avoid that. He never looked away, watching as the gears turned in her head, her rage slowly subsiding as the shock left her system.

“Yeah, bullshit. Why are we up now?” she asks, regarding the clock, showing 3 hours before the normal alarm was set to go off.

“CO says he needed to talk to us. Luckily, I’m a light sleeper, and I heard him loudly asking for us.”

“He’s always loud, I guess I just learned how to tune it out.” She says, walking over to her locker and removing the armor from it. Her chest piece fell from the hook as soon as she opened the door and landed with a clatter at her feet. She uses one hand to flip the piece off while the other reaches for the bottom pieces to her armor, getting all of them on swiftly. After she had assembled herself in the bland colors, she slammed the locker closed, shoving her helmet under her left arm before tearing open the door in one swift movement. She had never heard him exit the room, but once she was out the door she found him leaning up against the wall directly across from her door. Without saying a word, both of them set off in the direction of the CO’s office.

South strode off towards the door, reaching out to knock, and was shocked to find that the door was already open partially. Silently, she entered with North right behind her, but stopped right in her tracks as she saw someone else sat behind her commanding officers desk.

“Uhh, excuse me?” She asks, rather impatiently. The man behind the desk looks up calmly, seemingly unaffected by her tone. South’s face turned into a deep scowl, and she crossed her arms in an attempt to show her strong impatience and her growing irritation.

“I was supposed to come to meet my CO.” She snaps, the scowl still on her face.

“Ah yes, you must be Zaria.” The man says, his voice smooth and calm.

“Last time I checked, you weren’t him.” She barks, placing strong emphasis on the last words.

“I apologise for any...miscommunication in my information. I am here to talk to you and your brother about something very important.”

“Well I’m here to-”

“South, watch it. He’s not here to do anything bad. Just let him speak.” North interrupts, the voice of reason in South’s irritation. She shoots him a razor sharp glare, but quiets herself immediately.

“I am here to talk to you about a new startup project. It is highly sensitive stuff, and we are only looking for the most skilled and trained soldiers. I have found much evidence to believe that the two of you are just what our project needs.” The man says, his eye movements slowly switching back and forth from North or South, then back again.

“What’s the name of the project?” South demands, hands on her hips.

“I apologize, that is classified information at the moment.”

“Why and the hell should we join a project that you can’t even tell us the name of?” South demands again, her voice highly elevated, only a few decibels from yelling. Her face was growing red, the irritation building rapidly as she attempted to control her inevitable outburst.

“If it is any consolation, we have not told any of the other soldiers either. All I am able to say at the moment is that the two of you would be very valuable members for our team, and the Director would be very impressed with your skill. I have been assured that you will not regret this decision.” He answers, his voice never rising nor growing irritated.

“I’d be glad to do it.” North speaks up from behind South, sidestepping around her in order to lock eyes with the ominous man seated behind the desk. South whips around with force and glares at him, mouth agape with shock.

“North! What the hell, you’re just going to trust this random guy who spontaneously showed up out of nowhere, who wants to take us off somewhere we don’t know, to some project he won’t tell us the name of, and who just claims that we’re fit for the job?” South shrieks, her hands whipping wildly around her as she exclaims her point out at her brother, disregarding the man behind the desk completely.

“South, I...I don’t know how to explain it, but I trust him, okay? It makes sense to me, even though it’s very vague. It may not seem like a good idea now, but I feel like the CO wouldn’t have let this happen if it wasn’t a legitimate offer. So,” North pauses, pivoting on his feet in order to look in the man’s direction, “I accept the offer, and I would greatly enjoy it,” He pauses again, reversing his previous pivot in order to lock eyes with his seething twin, “if you would come along with me in this.”

South opens her mouth quickly in protest, but closes it as the words die on her tongue. At a loss for words, she looks her brother in the eyes before grumbling in defeat. With an eye roll, she drops her hands from their defensive position on her hips and turns towards the desk. The man hadn’t moved throughout the entire conflict, and turned his head slightly in order to lock eyes with South.

“Miss Zaria, what is your decision?” The man behind the desk questions, his eyes fixated on hers. Her eyes wandered startlingly fast around the dank room, seemingly looking for an escape, but after a few moments of silence, she cleared her throat.

“Fine, but this better be good.”

“I am assured that it will be.” He says, standing up from the chair.

“Show me.”

**XxXxXxX**

**Nameless**

Everyone has their origin story, a series of winds and turns that shaped them into who they became. Your story, however-

Was a mystery.


End file.
